We've been back stateside a little over a week. A lot has happened since our uneventful (thank you Lord!) flight home. Bill went straight back to work the next morning, Ella started school the day after that and Jack started preschool the day after her. And I unpacked and started drowning in a very long to do list (which doesn't shrink while you disappear for 1 month, I found out) and lots of back to school papers.
We are treading water a bit better now and mostly righted our sleep schedules, so I thought it was about time to reflect on our trip a bit. I will speak a bit for Bill first. Bill loved Kijabe - he got to see a ton of new things, do a ton of procedures, enjoyed way better hours at work and loved the Christian working environment. Bill was so relaxed during our month in Kenya. At this point I'm going to refrain from talking about what Bill disliked in Kenya and upon our return home - I don't want to misrepresent him. That being said we will be hosting an evening next week where we will be talking about our trip so if you'd like more details, please comment below or email me.
I had a really different experience than Bill. We lacked structure and schedule to our days and I found that difficult. And sometimes it was lonely - being in a new culture and not knowing how things work is intimidating. I struggled when the kids had difficulty with our new place. But on a positive note, I really enjoyed the people we got to know and the chances to learn about life in Kenya. I loved the freedom the kids had and lack of worry I had about where they were and what they were doing. The simplicity of our day to day (in hindsight) was refreshing.
Returning home has not really been hard with "reverse culture shock" so to speak - I notice the differences but I don't feel and struggle with that (to this point). I have a new appreciation for true poverty, the blessings we have here; I find myself worrying less about my to do list (that never gets done!); we've learned how to be really flexible. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's impossible to leave the developing world and not be changed. To find that not everyone lives the same way you do. To move beyond your own circle and subculture you tend to "do life" in and realize there's a whole lot of world out there. I thought I knew those things until I took this trip.
So I think that about wraps up this blog - I realize this last post is perhaps a bit short, a bit abstract, lacking in closure, etc. But that reflects where I'm at right now. I'm still reflecting and processing our trip. But I also realized if I didn't write something now I might not ever get it done!
If you'd like to talk to me more about our trip just comment or email me so we can do that - it might be easier to discuss things outside of the blog. And as I mentioned earlier, we'll be hosting an evening next week to talk about our trip. If you'd like details, get in touch with me (I'm not going to post those details on the web.)
Thanks for journeying along with us and for your thoughts and prayers. They have been much appreciated!
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